Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny, marking the third anniversary of his incarceration on charges widely believed to be politically motivated, said the model of power created by President Vladimir Putin in Russia "is inviable because it is built on lies."
Navalny's associates read a statement on YouTube explaining why he decided to come back to Russia on January 17, 2021, when he was arrested after returning from Germany, where he was treated for poisoning with what European labs concluded as Novichok-like Soviet-style nerve agent.
"I have my country and my beliefs. And I do not want to give up my country and my beliefs. I cannot betray either the former or the latter. If your beliefs are worth something, you must be ready to stand up for them. And if necessary, to be ready for sacrifices," Navalny's statement said.
"By returning I kept my promise given to my voters.... Those who do not lie must appear at last in Russia. It turned out that I have to pay by being incarcerated in solitary confinement for my right to have and proclaim my beliefs. And of course, I do not like to be imprisoned. But I will not give up my ideas and my motherland," the statement said.
Navalny, who nearly died from the poisoning, which he blames on Russian security operatives acting at Putin's behest, was initially handed a 2 1/2-year prison sentence for violating the terms of an earlier parole during his convalescence abroad. The Kremlin has denied any involvement in Navalny's poisoning.
The original conviction is widely regarded as a trumped-up, politically motivated case.
In March 2022, Navalny was handed a nine-year prison term on charges of contempt and embezzlement through fraud that he and his supporters have repeatedly rejected as politically motivated.
Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation and his network of regional offices were designated "extremist" organizations and banned after his arrest, which led to another case against him on extremism charges. In August 2023, a court extended Navalny's prison term to 19 years and sent him to a harsher "special regime" facility from the maximum-security prison where he was held.
Last month, Navalny was transferred to such a prison in Russia's Arctic region.
Navalny's associates announced earlier that they plan to organize rallies in dozens of cities across the world demanding Navalny's release and Putin's resignation.
The European Union issued a statement on January 17 calling Navalny's incarceration politically motivated and expressing concerns over his health and life.
The EU statement also urged the Kremlin to immediately release Navalny and other political prisoners in Russia, including among others Ilya Yashin, Vladimir Kara-Murza, Yury Dmitriyev, Aleksei Gorinov, and Lilia Chanysheva.